A WOMAN who sold her body for sex and got caught up in drugs and crime has spoken of how she is turning her life around with the support of a Swindon charity.

The 28-year-old, who asked the Adver not to name her, also tried to commit suicide before police put her in touch with the ISIS Women’s Centre, run with the Nelson Trust based in Victoria Road, Old Town.

They have been supporting her emotionally and mentally in her bid to become ‘the person she used to be.’

“I want to go back into hairdressing and be the person I was back then and not the person I am now,” she said.

“I got into some trouble over 18 months ago and it was like a cry for help. My mental health hasn’t been good and if it wasn’t for them and the support they give me I wouldn’t be who I am trying to achieve my dreams.

“I would have killed myself, which I have tried several times – they stopped me from doing that.”

The woman is one of many suffering from addiction, trauma or abuse to come under the wing of Sue Lee, manager of the sex worker outreach project, and Lou Kuklinski, of Wiltshire Police, who is tackling adult sexual exploitation in the town.

They can be found in the middle of the night on patrol in their van trying to get women into their care at the centre, instead of putting themselves in danger through prostitution.

And on Friday the duo were recognised for their exceptional work with a prestigious community award from the Howard League for Penal Reform.

They were praised by chief executive Frances Crook for helping the women live the life they want to and not the life they are condemned to, as well as for making a difference to those they feel have been let down by the criminal justice system.

Sue, who has been in the post for two years, said: “I believe passionately that these really vulnerable women at risk need voices and quite often they don’t get them.

“They are under the radar, they are extremely vulnerable to physical and sexual violence out on the streets doing what they do, and the main reason those women are out there is because they have a Class A drug addiction.”

Sue’s role was created and funded especially thanks to Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson.

“There was nobody out on the streets with these women,” Sue added. “Various agencies have given token gestures but he funded me to be out there, he had the foresight to understand their needs.”

Over the past year Lou and Sue have helped put men exploiting these women behind bars for a total of 20 years.

“We don’t give up," said Lou.

"It’s not the women's fault and their lives are completely chaotic. They have no control over these things and they have a severe amount of fear and control over them.

“We had a case last year of a very vulnerable woman who we managed to get into detox. I was so naïve in terms of what I thought that was going to be for her.

“We drove her to the detox unit and I went in there and it opened my eyes. I thought I had a really good understanding of what substance misuse and addiction was and what it took for someone to recover, but I didn’t. I realised that day I didn’t know what I was talking about.

“About four days later we had a phone call to say unfortunately it was too tough for her at that point and she had gone. The best way I can describe it is I felt like I had been hit by a bus. But I realised there was nothing we could do and we had to wait until she was ready to take that path again.

“Thankfully we got her on that path and she is okay and working towards a full recovery.”

For more information call the Women's Centre on (01793) 495812 or go to nelsontrust.com